Frequently Asked Questions

Students on university-wide exchanges are admitted as undergraduates to the College of Arts & Sciences. You can enroll in any open courses for which you meet the prerequisites. Read more about academics and course restrictions here.

Students on departmental exchanges will be admitted to a specific department. Contact your departmental coordinator regarding registration. 

The Foster School of Business has their own departmental exchanges and many of their courses are only open to exchange students on Foster exchanges. 

Please see the below restrictions for non-Business students who would like to enroll in a Foster School of Business course:

• Non-Business students cannot be registered for Upper Division core classes, there are no exceptions.
• Non-Business students can register for Upper Division electives as long as they have met the prerequisites beginning Period 3 Registration (first day of the quarter). If a course has many spots two weeks into Period 2 Registration, the advisor will register them prior to Period 3 Registration.
• Non-Business students can register for Lower Division courses two weeks into Period 2 Registration.
• Foster School of Business will not overload closed sections.

For any of the courses from above that require an Adviser to manual enroll a student, the student should email Bilen at bizinfo@uw.edu and specify you are a UW Wide-Exchange student. You should email around the time you are eligible for enrollment.

Incoming exchange students register during Period II for their first quarter at the UW. Registration dates can be found on the Academic Calendar.

You must register for at least one class before the first day of the quarter or you will be charged a late fee of $25. You may make changes to your schedule without paying any additional fees through the first week of the quarter. After the first week of the quarter, you will be charged a fee to make any changes to your schedule and may also be required to have approval from an ISS adviser. Pay attention to registration restrictions during the different registration periods. These will be indicated in the time schedule.

If you attend the UW for more than one quarter, you will register during Period I for all other quarters.

If courses you’re interested in fill up before your registration date, use the Notify.UW tool to receive notifications on space availability in a specific course via email or text (SMS). Please do not contact UW Study Abroad to request entry codes for courses. 

You can also attend the first day of instruction to see if the instructor will permit overloads.

Contact the departmental adviser or the instructor and provide them with your transcripts. They can give you an entry code to register if the course is a good match based on your previous coursework and if there is space in the course. 

No. The Study Abroad Office is not an academic unit and cannot give entry codes or authorize overloads. Please contact your departmental adviser or the instructor of the course for assistance with registration. 

In order to remain in status as an exchange student on a J-1 visa, undergraduates must take a minimum of 12 credits per quarter and graduate students must take a minimum of 10. (Graduate students’ credits should be from graduate-level courses.) If you are attending the UW for more than one quarter, you may apply for a reduced credit load in your final quarter. More information can be found in your MyISSS profile under Requests – Exchange Student Final Quarter Reduced Course Load. 

Your tuition waiver will cover a maximum of 18 credits per quarter. We do not recommend you take more than 18 credits, especially in your first quarter at the UW. If you do enroll in over 18 credits, you will pay tuition for the additional credits at the resident tuition rate.

Please note: Your home university may have other credit requirements and may not permit a reduced credit load in your final quarter. Check with your advisers at your home university before requesting a part-time enrollment.

Undergraduates:
You will be admitted through Undergraduate Admissions. After you have been admitted to the UW and received your acceptance letter, you’ll also receive an invite to MyISSS where you can request your DS-2019 Form, which is required for you to apply for your J-1 visa. Your DS-2019 Form will be issued electronically through your MyISSS. You will still need to print and sign your document and take the physical copy with you to your visa appointment. You will also need the physical copy to enter the US to begin your exchange. 

Follow the steps in the J-1 Exchange Student checklist you receive with your acceptance materials to pay your SEVIS fee and schedule your visa interview appointment. Further information is also available in the Learning Content section of your Study Abroad account and on the ISS website.

Graduate students:

You will be admitted by GEMS (Graduate admissions). Once you are admitted, you will receive your offer letter and an invite to MyISSS where you can request your DS-2019, which is required for you to apply for your J-1 visa. Your DS-2019 Form will be issued electronically through your MyISSS. You will still need to print and sign your document and take the physical copy with you to your visa appointment. You will also need the physical copy to enter the US to begin your exchange. 

Follow the steps in the J-1 Exchange Student checklist you receive with your acceptance materials to pay your SEVIS fee and schedule your visa interview appointment. Further information is also available in the Learning Content section of your Study Abroad account and on the ISS website.

Exchange students at the UW are issued DS-2019 Forms to apply for their J-1 visas. You will not be issued an I-20 Form, which is only for students on F-1 visas.

Undergraduates:

Acceptances (including the DS-2019 Form) are sent out at the following times based on your starting quarter at the UW:

• Autumn quarter: Early June
• Winter quarter: October
• Spring quarter: Late December or Early January

Graduate students:

Acceptances (including the DS-2019 Form) are sent out based on when you complete your graduate application. 

You may enter the US on your J-1 visa up to 30 days before the program start date listed on your DS-2019 Form. All incoming exchange students must attend the exchange student orientation session. The exact date of the orientation will vary from quarter to quarter.

Tuition must be charged in order for UW Study Abroad to apply your tuition waiver. We will apply the waiver to your account close to the tuition due date. You are responsible for all non-tuition fees, including the U-Pass, insurance, and any course or lab fees. You can submit payment for the fees at any time, even before the tuition waiver has been applied to your account.

If you have coverage that meets or exceeds the minimum coverage required for J-1 students, you can submit a waiver for ISHIP coverage. Be sure to review the requirements and instructions before submitting your waiver.

Please note: you must first commit to ISHIP coverage before you can submit a waiver. You will be prompted to commit to ISHIP when you first register for courses. You do not need to set up an account with ISHIP or pay the policy fee if you plan on waiving coverage.

No, exchange students may make their own housing arrangements. FIUTS has information on their website regarding off-campus housing.

Dining plans are required for all residence halls and may be required for apartments. You can select the dining plan that best suits your needs and budget.